How to hire a project management internship

How to hire a project management internship, step by step

Here's a step-by-step project management internship hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a project management internship job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new project management internship
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a project management internship do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you start hiring a project management internship, identify what type of worker you actually need. Certain positions might call for a full-time employee, while others can be done by a part-time worker or contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   A project management internship's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, project management interns from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

   The following list breaks down different types of project management interns and their corresponding salaries.

   Type of Project Management Internship	Description	Hourly rate
   Project Management Internship		$12-20
   Service Supervisor	A customer service supervisor's role is to oversee a team of customer service workers, ensuring their efficiency when it comes to engaging and assisting clients, all in the joint effort to boost sales and improve the client base. Aside from leading and supervising colleagues, a customer service supervisor must prepare progress reports about the team's workflow, set goals, devise strategies, verify all return refund operations, and coordinate with other managers and supervisors outside the unit... Show more	$16-38
   Support Staff	School support staff provide specialized instructional and student support while utilizing school facilities. They often include diverse staff members whose main role is to ensure that students learn in a supportive and safe learning environment... Show more	$12-19

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Management
   • Leadership
   • Project Management
   • Customer Service
   • Portfolio
   • Human Resources
   • SharePoint
   • Financial Statements
   • Data Analysis
   • Data Collection
   • Process Improvement
   • Market Research
   • Facebook
   • Twitter

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage QA and exploratory testing in order to deliver regular and ad hoc error reports.
   • Manage chart completion (ICD-9-CM and CPT coding/abstracting), chart assembly, patient admission and patient information privacy/security.
   • Manage retail sales systems (SPRS, POS) documents, create reports on merchandise stock, and help purchase merchandise.
   • Propose, develop and modify performance reports, utilizing VBA to automate and optimize efficiency.
   • Evaluate and manage financial portfolio risk and margin, monitor and evaluate macroeconomic and financial events relate to the managed portfolio.
   • Manage quality assurance checks for FDA and internal audits which result in no documentation/information error and successful completion of the audits.

   More project management internship duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in the project management internship job description is a good way to get more applicants. A project management internship salary can be affected by several factors, such as the location of the job, the level of experience, education, certifications, and the employer's prestige.

   For example, the average salary for a project management internship in South Carolina may be lower than in Alaska, and an entry-level engineer typically earns less than a senior-level project management internship. Additionally, a project management internship with lots of experience in the field may command a higher salary as a result.

   Average project management internship salary

   $16.30hourly

   $33,909 yearly

   ---

   Entry-level project management internship salary

   $26,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 5, 2025

   Average project management internship salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	Minnesota	$39,002	$19
   2	California	$38,597	$19
   3	New Jersey	$38,340	$18
   4	District of Columbia	$37,746	$18
   5	Illinois	$36,730	$18
   6	Colorado	$36,682	$18
   7	Washington	$36,097	$17
   8	Wisconsin	$35,638	$17
   9	Texas	$35,528	$17
   10	Massachusetts	$35,476	$17
   11	New York	$35,218	$17
   12	Connecticut	$34,966	$17
   13	Michigan	$33,463	$16
   14	Indiana	$33,461	$16
   15	Virginia	$32,523	$16
   16	Missouri	$32,002	$15
   17	Ohio	$31,036	$15
   18	Nebraska	$31,017	$15
   19	Hawaii	$30,698	$15
   20	Pennsylvania	$30,557	$15

   Average project management internship salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Oracle	$50,890	$24.47	1,133
   2	Johnson Controls	$48,982	$23.55	16
   3	Schneider Electric Industrial Services	$48,661	$23.39	6
   4	Jacobs Engineering Group	$45,055	$21.66
   5	Student Conservation Association	$44,550	$21.42	1
   6	fairlife	$43,446	$20.89	6
   7	Dairy Management	$43,412	$20.87
   8	Northrop Grumman	$43,289	$20.81	57
   9	Bosch USA	$43,123	$20.73	4
   10	Siemens	$42,995	$20.67	17
   11	San Diego Association of Governments	$42,995	$20.67
   12	Alliant Energy	$42,850	$20.60
   13	Mars	$42,397	$20.38	1
   14	University of Rochester	$42,339	$20.36	6
   15	AECOM	$41,736	$20.07	77
   16	City of Tacoma	$40,818	$19.62
   17	Latham & Watkins	$40,227	$19.34
   18	L3Harris	$40,210	$19.33	83
   19	ACLU of Wisconsin	$40,188	$19.32
   20	City of Houston	$40,026	$19.24	1

4. Writing a project management internship job description

   A project management internship job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. To help get you started, here's an example of a project management internship job description:

   Project management internship job description example

   We heard you knock!
   
   Internship Learning Outcomes
   Help bring a product to market from conception to sale. Get involved with all functions within the business from marketing to engineering to sales at the Masonite Innovation Center (MIC). Support ongoing New Product Development activities using a stage gate process to drive portions of a project using project management best practices. Create documentation (e.g., project schedules, project charters, scope documents, project quality plans, risk assessments) that supports the PMO organization and documents to use in project activities. Make meaningful impact for new product launches at a market leading product organization.
   
   In addition, you will be participating in a program that encompasses:
   Approximately ten-week summer assignment at Masonite's corporate headquarters in Tampa, Florida Development of personal and professional skills through training, networking, and mentoring relationships Interactions with senior leaders during intern activities such as lunch-and-learn events and leadership dialogues The opportunity to build teamwork skills through interaction with other interns and colleagues
   Leadership Relationships: Engineering Operations Program Leaders
   Responsibilities and Accountabilities: Maintaining and monitoring project plans, project schedules Documenting and following up on important actions and decisions from meetings. Preparing necessary presentation materials for meetings. Ensuring project deadlines are met.
   Determining project changes. Providing administrative support as needed. Undertaking project tasks as required. Ensuring projects adhere to frameworks and all documentation is maintained appropriately for each project. Assess project risks and issues and provide solutions where applicable.
   Chair and facilitate meetings where appropriate and distribute minutes to all project team members Create a project management calendar for fulfilling each goal and objective. Learn and use Stage Gate process to launch new products to the market. Work with multiple functions that have an impact on product creation to sales within organizations.
   Minimum Qualifications and Experience Requirements: Currently enrolled in a university at the Junior or Senior level Major: Project Management; Organizational Design; Program Management; Business, Operations or Supply Chain Management; Business Process GPA: 3.3 minimum
   Proficient with the Microsoft Office suite and other business applications Strong Interpersonal Communication Skills Integrity and Confidentiality Problem Solving Skills Results Orientation
   Business Acumen Masonite is an equal opportunity employer
   
   Open to extraordinary!

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are a few common ways to find project management interns for your business:

   • Promoting internally or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to meet candidates with the right educational background.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to recruit passive job-seekers.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your project management internship job on Zippia to find and recruit project management internship candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   To successfully recruit project management interns, your first interview needs to engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. You can go into more detail about the company, the role, and the responsibilities during follow-up interviews.

   You should also ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match the ideal candidate profile you developed earlier. Candidates good enough for the next step can complete the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new project management internship

   Once you have selected a candidate for the project management internship position, it is time to create an offer letter. In addition to salary, the offer letter should include details about benefits and perks that are available to the employee. Ensuring your offer is competitive is vital, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and it is important to be open to discussion and reach a mutually beneficial agreement. After the offer has been accepted, it is a good idea to formalize the agreement with a contract.

   You should also follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that you've filled the position.

   To prepare for the new employee's start date, you can create an onboarding schedule and complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9 forms, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Human Resources should also ensure that a new employee file is created.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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